A strong India-U.S. partnership can “help ensure security of the sea lanes of commerce and freedom of navigation on seas,” he added.

So is the beefed-up alliance between the two countries making Beijing uncomfortable? The country’s press provides some clues.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency contrasted the Indian leaders’ reception in the U.S. with the time when he was denied a visa over his handling, as chief minister, of 2002 riots in the state of Gujarat in which thousands of people, mostly Muslims, died.

“Now, Modi was greeted by a flag-bearing military honor guard when he arrived at the entrance to the West Wing for talks with Obama,” Xinhua said.

Despite the deepening relationship, the article quoted Zhao Gancheng, a senior fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies as saying: “The U.S. and India values do not fit each other completely.”

“India adopts an independent foreign policy and has tried to keep neutral when dealing with major countries,” Xinhua quoted Mr. Zhao as saying.

China need not worry too much about deepening of the Indo-U.S. relationship, the Global Times said in an op-ed.

“Although rivaling China in many aspects, India knows its great vision cannot be realized by bashing or containing China,” the Chinese state-backed newspaper wrote Wednesday.

“China is more of a help than a competitor to India,” wrote Liu Zhun, author of the op-ed.

As for the U.S., Mr. Liu said, “it is always hoping that India could serve as its right hand to counterbalance China’s rise.”